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WTF? (WHAT’S THAT FISH?): THE FROGFISH
WTF? (WHAT’S THAT FISH?): THE FROGFISH I have just been lightly involved in a long online thread showcasing the weirdest / most science fiction-y creatures around the world. Trust me, there are...
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ELKHORN CORAL – REEF LIFE . ABACO . BAHAMAS
ELKHORN CORAL (Acropora palmata) is a widespread reef coral, an unmistakeable species with large branches that resemble elk antlers. The dense growths create an ideal shady habitat for many reef...
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FAIRY BASSLET (‘MIND YOUR GRAMMA’): BAHAMAS REEF FISH
FAIRY BASSLET (‘MIND YOUR GRAMMA’): BAHAMAS REEF FISH (33) The Fairy Basslet is a tiny brightly-coloured fish with a pretentious alternative name. It is otherwise known as the Royal Gramma (Gramma...
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CARIBBEAN REEF SQUID: SUPERPOWERS & SQUID SEX
CARIBBEAN REEF SQUID: SUPERPOWERS & SQUID SEX The Caribbean reef squid Sepioteuthis sepioidea is a small squid species of (mainly) the Caribbean Sea and the Floridian coast, and the most common...
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BRAIN WAVES: UNDERSEA CORAL MAZES & LABYRINTHS
BRAIN WAVES: UNDERSEA CORAL MAZES & LABYRINTHS The most apposite description of brain coral Diploria labyrinthiformisis is essentially a no-brainer. How could you not call the creatures on this...
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PEACOCK FLOUNDERS: NOW YOU SEE THEM…
PEACOCK FLOUNDERS MASTERS OF SUBAQUATIC CAMOUFLAGE I featured the extraordinary, colour-transforming PEACOCK FLOUNDER Bothus lunatus a while back as part of a Bahamas Reef Fish series. These...
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BLUE CHROMIS: A FLASH OF COLOUR ON THE REEF
BLUE CHROMIS: A FLASH OF COLOUR ON THE REEF Larger reef fish tend to get more attention than the tiddlers, for obvious reasons. Yet a reef would not properly exist without the small fish that drift...
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MANATEE AWARENESS MONTH!
MANATEE AWARENESS MONTH: BAHAMAS? WE GOTTEM! Manatees are apex ‘gorgeous marine mammals’. Gentle, inquisitive, brave, long-distance-but-rather-slow-swimming, grass-grazing miracle ur-elephant...
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WRY ‘CUDA & SARDONIC SMILES, ABACO BAHAMAS
WRY ‘CUDA & SARDONIC SMILES, ABACO BAHAMAS There’s no doubt about it, barracudas have a particularly unwelcoming look to them. They exude menace. There’s something about the torpedo shape, the...
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TUNICATES: SESSILE ASEXUAL SEA-SQUIRTS
TUNICATES: SESSILE ASEXUAL SEA-SQUIRTS Painted Tunicates Clavina picta are one of several species of tunicate ‘sea-squirts’ found in Bahamas and Caribbean waters. These creatures with their...
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ABACO PARROT FOR A CHEERFUL YULETIDE & OPTIMISM FOR 2023
Thanks to all followers, likers, commenters, regular visitors, one-offs, local wildlife organisations, and friends of Rolling Harbour in general. This year we passed 1 million hits over the ten years...
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FLAMINGO TONGUE SNAILS: DECORATIVE CORAL-DWELLERS
FLAMINGO TONGUE SNAILS: DECORATIVE CORAL-DWELLERS FLAMINGO TONGUE SNAILS Cyphoma gibbous are small marine gastropod molluscs related to cowries. The living animal is brightly coloured and strikingly...
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BLUEHEAD WRASSE: PRIVATE LIFE LAID BARE
BLUEHEAD WRASSE: PRIVATE LIFE LAID BARE The bluehead wrasse (or blue-headed wrasse) Thalassoma bifasciatum is a denizen of the coral reefs in the tropical waters of the western Atlantic Ocean. This...
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WTF? (WHAT’S THAT FISH): ‘GUITARFISH ROCK’
WTF? (WHAT’S THAT FISH): ‘GUITARFISH ROCK’ A spectacular entry in my WTF? series came courtesy of Adam Rees and a night dive in Florida waters: the guitarfish, (Gr: rhinos – nose; batis – ray) . Until...
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ROCK BEAUTY: BAHAMAS REEF FISH
ROCK BEAUTY . Holacanthus tricolor . BAHAMAS REEF FISH These creatures are a small species of angelfish. Seen swimming around the reefs they are unmistakeable, not least because of their bright...
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WTF? (WHAT’S THAT FISH): FLYING GURNARD
WTF? (WHAT’S THAT FISH) 10: FLYING GURNARD Imagine that you are swimming along resplendent in your snorkelling gear (me) – or in scuba gear for the advanced swimmer (you). There, below you,...
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WTF? (WHAT’S THAT FISH?): ARROW CRABS
WTF? (WHAT’S THAT FISH?): ARROW CRABS The WTF? series is dedicated to the wilder, less conventionally fish-shaped side of reef life – those creatures that you may come across, blink into your...
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WTF? (WHAT’S THAT FISH): ‘GUITARFISH ROCK’
WTF? (WHAT’S THAT FISH): ‘GUITARFISH ROCK’ A spectacular entry in my WTF? series came courtesy of Adam Rees and a night dive in Florida waters: the guitarfish, (Gr: rhinos – nose; batis – ray) . Until...
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BRAIN WAVES: UNDERSEA CORAL MAZES & LABYRINTHS
BRAIN WAVES: UNDERSEA CORAL MAZES & LABYRINTHS The most apposite description of brain coral Diploria labyrinthiformisis is essentially a no-brainer. How could you not call the creatures on this...
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SOUTHERN STINGRAYS: BAHAMAS REEF FISH
SOUTHERN STINGRAYS: BAHAMAS REEF FISH (41) Anyone who has scuba-dived or snorkelled around the bright coral reefs of the Bahamas, or hunted bonefish out on the Abaco Marls will have come across...
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